MONTREAL — Some 1,200 Quebec daycare and kindergarten students will begin receiving age-appropriate sexual education this fall as part of a pilot project.

The project will be run by the Marie-Vincent Foundation, which fights sexual abuse of children and teenagers.

The course, which has been designed for children up to five years old, touches on notions of sexuality and equality in relationships.

Annie Fournier of the Marie-Vincent Foundation says talking about relationships at a young age could help prevent sexual violence.

She says the goal of the pilot is to take away the taboo that surrounds talking about sexuality, so that children will feel more comfortable having those conversations when they get older.

Some 300 educators will be trained by the foundation to implement the program, which could eventually be extended to more daycares and community centres if the pilot is successful.